The CUNY Conference might not carry much weight on the national basketball scale, but eyes have to start focusing on the College of Staten Island sooner or later.

The 17-2 Dolphins extended their winning streak to 16 games with Friday night’s 92-67 rout of visiting Baruch in a NCAA Division III contest that essentially was over by halftime.

“I know they’re not nationally ranked yet,” said Baruch coach John Alesi, “but they’re absolutely one of the top 25 teams in the country … there’s no doubt about it.

“They just keep playing the way they play regardless of the score and they never veer off track. They stay committed to what they do and that’s a credit to Tony (Petosa) and the four-year seniors. That’s how you build a championship program and that’s how they’ve been a championship team the last two years and are well on their way to another one right now.”

CSI finished No. 23 in the final D3hoops.com poll of the 2011-12 campaign, when the Dolphins went 26-4 and advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tourney.

Comparisons to that talented squad are a constant point of reference this winter.

“We’re very talented, I’ve been saying that for some time,” said CSI coach Petosa. “We’re more consistent on the defensive end than the offensive end, and it’s consistency on the offensive end that concerns me.”

Senior guards Bloochy Magloire (21 points) and Jonathan Chadwick-Myers (20 points) came off the bench to ignite the Dolphins on a night they zipped to a 45-25 halftime lead and built a 31-point cushion in the first five minutes of the second half.

Magloire and Chadwick-Myers are returning All-CUNY performers, which tells you something about CSI’s level of talent and depth.

“It helps to know you have people who can come in and play behind you,” said 6-foot-5 senior forward Matt Van Manen, a four-year starter. “I know I can contribute with rebounding and getting defensive stops. The thing about this team is that every big man and every guard is a defender … we play team defense.”

CSI junior forward Jason Cox galvanized that interior defense and wound up with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. Freshman point guard Frankie Schettino controlled the tempo with nine points, five rebounds and five assists.

20-7 CLOSING RUN

Baruch cut the deficit to 76-60 with 4:23 remaining, but CSI closed with a 20-7 run.

Play was physical down the stretch and both Cox and Van Manen hit the floor after taking shots to the face near the basket.

“When you’re up by 30, both teams relax and the refs relax,” said Van Manen, who was nursing a swollen nose after the game. “I got hit in the face. I wasn’t expecting that, but I was expecting a call. No whistle … I was a little surprised.”

There’s nothing surprising any longer about the rampaging Dolphins, who are building steam with five regular-season games remaining.

They’re closing in on the school-record 19-game winning streak compiled by the 2011-12 squad.

Sooner or later, the national pollsters will have to take notice.

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NOTES: Baruch sophomore guard Ryan Markoe, a McKee/S.I. Tech product, scored 15 points for the Bearcats, who were led by the 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots of Granville Gittens … The Dolphins shot 50 percent from the floor while holding the Bearcats to 39.3 percent accuracy … CSI travels to Lehman on Monday night.